Private whisky tastings

Book us for a Whisky Tasting for your Stag Party in the Peak District in 2025!

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Whisky Tastings in the Peak District with Distilled Events

If you are planning a Stag party in the Peak District National Park and you would like an exclusive activity a whisky tasting is the perfect way to keep your group entertained.

I host whisky tastings in the Peak District as well as everywhere else in the UK and sometimes further afield. I used to be Distillery Manager at one of the largest malt whisky distilleries in Scotland the mighty and iconic Caol Ila Distillery on the Hebridean island of Islay, so my tastings are as authentic as can be as well as fun and engaging.

The Whisky Tasting

Each of our whisky tastings are different and I can tailor it to fit your itinerary of activities. Usually when I host a whisky tasting for a stag party it will last for around 90 minutes during which time guests taste 6 special single malt whiskies from around Scotland.

I often present whiskies that have been made in places I have lived or worked, or from distilleries that I have visited and particularly enjoyed. See the bottom of the post for links to some of the distilleries I often feature in my tastings.

What is Included in Your Stag Party Whisky Tasting

  • A 90 minute tasting experience including 6 single malt whiskies
  • Whisky industry expert to host the tasting
  • A brief history of Scotch whisky and how it is made
  • Plenty of time for all your whisky related questions to be answered
  • All glassware provided

Prices start from just £30 per person based on a minimum group size of 12 people.

Contact us!

If you would like more information about our whisky tasting experiences in the Peak District, please give me a call on 07875 405 980, alternatively please complete the form below and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

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Some of My Favourite Distilleries

Each of my tastings are different. I am totally independent so I can present any whiskies that I wish. I do however have some favourites that appear quite regularly in my tastings. I’m lucky enough to have lived on the Isle of Skye for a while and I love Talisker. I worked at three different distilleries on the Isle of Islay, Bunnahabhain, Lagavulin and Caol Ila so they quite often make an appearance in my tastings.

I host week long Guided Distillery Experiences in Scotland for guests from all over the world so I’ve visited many distilleries. If I’ve visited a distillery and particularly enjoyed the experience I’ll often present their whiskies too. Here are some links to some of the distilleries:

David Wood

07875 405 980

Glasgow University Whisky Tasting Experience

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Whisky Tasting in Glasgow

We were delighted to be asked to host a whisky tasting experience for 200 delegates from all over the world at a conference at Glasgow University recently. We presented 4 single malt whiskies from all over Scotland, each representing regionality and different flavour profiles.

We set up four whisky stations around the room so that delegates could move around easily, speak to us about the whiskies and about the whisky industry before moving on to the next dram. I was joined by two industry colleagues, Justina and Rebecca to help engage with as many conference delegates as possible during the evening.

At the beginning of the tasting I spoke briefly to the whole group to explain how the tasting would work and a little about the Scotch whisky industry in general and how single malt whisky makes the incredible journey from field to table.

It was great to be able to engage with so many people at such a great event and to enthuse about all things Scotland and single malt Scotch whisky. Our tastings showcase Scotland’s gift to the world and are a great way to encourage people to get together, have fun, socialise and relax.

Glasgow Whisky Tasting – The Single Malt Whiskies

We selected four single malt Scotch whiskies to help demonstrate both regionality and the difference in flavour profiles. Two of the whiskies were from the Isle of Islay where Justina and I used to work. One of the Islay whiskies was smokey / peaty, whilst the other was rich, maritime and fruity. The other two single malt whiskies were from the Highland region and Speyside.

Here is the set list for our whisky tasting experience in Glasgow:

  1. Tomintoul 10 year old Speyside single malt whisky 40%abv
  2. Glengoyne 12 year old Highland single malt whisky 43%abv
  3. Bunnahabhain 12 year old Islay single malt whisky 46.3%abv
  4. Caol Ila 13 year old Islay single malt whisky 43% bottled by Gordon and MacPhail

Whisky Tastings in Glasgow

We would love to host a whisky tasting for your event in Glasgow or anywhere else in Scotland. If you would like more information or if you would like to check availability for a whisky tasting, please call David on 07875 405 980.

Alternatively, please complete the form below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

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A Very Special Whisky Tasting at Loch Lomond

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Whisky Tasting for the Scottish Football Association

I was absolutely delighted to by the Scottish Football Association to host a whisky tasting at a dinner at Boturich Castle on the banks of Loch Lomond in Scotland last week. Our guests had been attending the 138th International Football Association Board Conference at Cameron House on the other side of Loch Lomond as well as taking the time to attend a local football match, St. Mirren vs Aberdeen.

Delegates at the dinner at Boturich Castle where we hosted the whisky tasting were from all over the world. There representatives from the Scottish FA, English FA, Irish FA, Welsh FA, and along with Premier League referees. The event was attended by many famous faces from the football world. It was a pleasure to meet them and to host a whisky tasting for them.

Whisky Tasting Loch Lomond

During this very special event our guests were served a wonderful meal specially prepared in the Pavilion at Boturich Castle. The Pavilion is a recent addition to Boturich Castle and is perfect for wedding gatherings and corporate events. It is beautifully furnished and big enough for very large gatherings. Boturich Castle is superbly situated just outside Balloch on the A82. It is 45 minutes by car to Glasgow city centre and 30 minutes to Glasgow Airport.

At the tasting my guests enjoyed:

  • Talisker 10 year old single malt whisky 45.8%abv – served with haggis
  • Bunnahabhain 12 year old Islay single malt whisky 46.3%abv – served with chocolate pave
  • Caol Ila 13yo Islay single malt whisky bottled by Gordon and Macphail 43%abv
  • Glenfarclas 10 year old single malt whisky bottled for Master of Malt 55%abv

Loch Lomond Venues

We have worked at multiple venues on Loch Lomond. There are many choices that make the perfect venue for all sorts of events. Here are a selection of venues and links to their websites:

Contact us about a Whisky Tasting at Loch Lomond

We would love to host a whisky tasting for you. I was Distillery Manager at Caol Ila Distillery on the Hebridean island of Islay so my tastings are as authentic as can be. Each of our bespoke tastings are designed to fit perfectly with your event whatever that may be. We are totally independent so we can serve and talk about any whiskies that either we or you like from around Scotland, and there are many fantastic drams to choose from.

If you are interested in us hosting a whisky tasting for your special event, whether it be at Loch Lomond or anywhere else in Scotland please complete the form below or contact me (David) on 07875 405 980. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Muncie Scotch Whisky Society Tasting

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Provenance, Terroir and Understanding Some Differences Between Bourbon and Single Malt Scotch Whisky

I travelled to the United States in summer last year to host a series of Scotch Whisky Tasting Experiences in a number of settings including at a wonderful shop in Indianapolis called Storied Company and a very special tasting in hall for the Muncie Scotch Whisky Society.

I was kindly invited to stay in Muncie with my friends Bob and Paaige. I began to understand a lot of the differences between single malt Scotch whiskies and Bourbons almost immediately when I arrived in the US. Firstly, stepping off the plane to experience 40 degree heat and humidity like I’ve never experienced before.

Casks sleeping in rickhouses (what we call warehouses in Scotland) must mature in a very different way in these vastly different conditions. The casks must even mature differently in various locations in the rickhouses, those nearer the roof for example will be sitting in higher temperatures and humidity levels I would have thought. Indeed at one distillery we visited, the distillery operatives were maturing meats in various locations within a single rickhouse, just to see how differently they mature. More on this in a later post.

The Importance of Corn

A huge difference between how Bourbon whiskey is produced and how single malt Scotch whisky is produced is that when you mill your grains you have what is called a mash bill, a recipe of grains that begin to make the DNA of the whiskey that you are producing. By law, when you are making spirit destined to become Bourbon, your mash bill must be made up of a minimum of 51% corn (or maize as it is sometimes called). The rest of the mash bill can be a mixture of any grains that you would like such as rye, wheat or barley.

Single malt Scotch whisky is made exclusively from malted barley. By law, it cannot be made with any other grains. If other grains are used to make the spirit it will be destined to become grain whisky, single grain whisky or blended Scotch whisky. Corn is therefore a big difference.

On my first day staying in Muncie my hosts kindly took me to a local farmers market to find some ears of corn. We took them home, boiled them up and served with much butter and salt and I can honestly say I have never tasted corn like it, much sweeter than the corn back in the UK. I think that given that corn is such a large part of the mash bill, that sweetness goes some way to explain how new make spirit from a distillery producing Bourbon is so much sweeter as well as the faster maturation created by the temperature and humidity in the rickhouses which I mention above.

Muncie Scotch Whisky Society Single Malt Whisky Tasting Experience

During the afternoon we headed over to the local community hall, a very large room and perfect for our whisky tasting that evening. There was plenty of room to seat all 60 of our guests as well as having space for a huge spread of charcuterie skillfully prepared by chef Jason which all enjoyed with our selection of fine single malt Scotch whiskies.

It was great to see so many people attend the event, to meet lots of new people and make new friends as well as seeing lots of familiar faces of those who have joined our Guided Distillery Experiences in Scotland in the past and meeting others that have booked to join is there in 2024 and 2025.

The Set List for Our Whisky Tasting in Indiana, USA

During the evening we tasted six single malt whiskies from around Scotland each having different flavour profiles. We tasted two drams from Speyside , two from Islay in the Southern Hebrides, one from the Isle of Mull and another from Orkney. The whiskies were of various strengths from 43% abv (86 proof in the US) to 60.1%abv (120 proof in the US).

Here is the set list for our tasting:

  1. Benromach 15 year old Speyside single malt whisky. Established 1898, Forres, Moray. Now owned by independent bottler Gordon and Macphail in Elgin. This whisky was matured in American oak and sherry casks. Bottled at 43%abv (86 proof)
  2. Tobermory 12 year old island (Mull) single malt whisky. Established 1798, Tobermory, Mull. Owned by Distell. 1 million ltrs production per annum production. This whisky was matured in American oak. Bottled at 46.3%abv (92 proof) with no colouring and no chill filtration.
  3. Highland Park 15 year old island (Orkney) single malt whisky. Established 1798, Kirkwall, Mainland Orkney. Owned by Edrington Group. 2.5 million ltrs production per annum. Bottled at 44%abv (88 proof). This whisky was matured in treated European and American oak casks. Once, when working in a shop at the beginning of my whisky journey, I had to threaten to call the police when a customer got so angry when I wouldn’t accept that Highland Park was in fact a Speyside single malt whisky and not from Orkney at all. (True story).
  4. The Glenallachie 15 year old Speyside single malt whisky. Established 1967, Aberlour. Owned by The Glenallachie Consortium. 4 million ltrs per annum production capacity but currently only producing 500000 ltrs per annum. Bottled at 46%abv (92 proof) with no colouring and no chill filtration. This whisky was predominantly matured in sherry casks (both oloroso and pedro ximenez)
  5. Bunnahabhain Cask Strength 2023 release 12 year old Islay single malt whisky. Established in 1881 North of Port Askaig, Isle of Islay. Owned by Distell. 2.7 million ltrs production per annum. Bottled at 60.1%abv (120 proof). This whisky was matured in oloroso sherry casks.
  6. Caol Ila 12 year old Islay single malt whisky. Established 1846, Port Askaig, Isle of Islay. Owned by Diageo. 6.5 million ltrs production per annum. This whisky was bottled at 43%abv and matured in second fill American oak hogseads.

Thanks to all at Muncie Scotch Whisky Society

I would like to thank everyone at Muncie Scotch Whisky Society for having me host this very special whisky tasting, it was so great to meet you all on such a lovely evening in Indiana. There were great whisky questions from all of the group. It was great to catch up with lots of people who have joined me in Scotland on our Guided Distilleries Experiences in the past and some who are joining us on trips in the future.

Special thanks must go to Bob and Paaige who were wonderful hosts for the first few days and who made my first ever trip to the United States at all possible. I’m especially grateful for being shown the sights of Indiana and for being kept topped up with corn, the best bacon butties I’ve ever had and Chardonnay.

Coming Next!

Next up is more about the trip to the USA post Indiana as I venture across to Kentucky and the Bourbon Trail to learn all about Bourbon. Watch this space for more…….

Contact Me!

If you are interested in having me host a whisky (or whiskey) tasting for you or if you are interested in visiting Scotland on one of our week long Guided Distillery Experiences please complete the form below and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Alternatively give me a call on 07875 405 980. David.

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Distilled Events & Friends in the USA

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Single Malt Whisky Tasting Experiences in the USA

A few months ago I was asked by my friend Bob who has joined many of my week long whisky experiences in Scotland, if I would be interested in hosting a series of Scotch whisky tastings in the USA. I had never been to The States before so I jumped at the chance. I dug out my passport, booked my tickets and off I headed to Indiana followed by an extensive tour of the Bourbon distilleries of Kentucky.

I’m hoping to write about the trip over a series of blog posts so watch this space if you would like to read about my tour of many distilleries in Kentucky.

Whisky Tasting Experience for Storied Company in Indianapolis

First up for the series of events was at a great shop in Indianapolis called Storied Company. Storied is a fantastic wine and spirits merchants which is ran by Denis Lynch and Simon O’Grady. Denis and Simon like to stock wines and spirits that have been produced by smaller, independent wineries and distilleries especially those that have an interesting story to tell.

I hosted two sessions at Storied, for around 40 guests in each. The tasting took place with myself and the guests lined up with glasses of whisky ready to taste on a table that ran all around the balcony on the upper floor. Each tasting session lasted around an hour with an hour in between to set up the second event.

The room in Storied was beautifully lit and made for a relaxing ambience for our whisky tasting guests. Being relaxed, our guests asked lots of great and interesting questions which always helps to make a tasting go really well.

The Whisky Set List at Storied Company

Here are the whiskies that our guests enjoyed at the Scotch whisky tasting at Storied Company:

  • Elements of Islay LN2 Small Batch Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky. 59.5% from Bruichladdich Distillery, Isle of Islay. Bottled by Elixir Distillers. This was a single Amercan oak barrel which yielded just 216 bottles.
  • Elements of Islay BN10 Small Batch Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky. 54.3%abv. Bunnahabhain Distillery, Isle of Islay. Bottled by Elixir Distillers. This was a marriage of 3 American oak hogsheads which yielded a total of 732 bottles.
  • Caol Ila 10 year old Islay Single Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky. 56.4%abv bottled by Inglered. This was a single American oak hogshead which yielded 295 bottles.
  • Caol Ila 9 year old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky bottled by Five Lions. This was an single American oak cask.
  • Laphroaig 9 year old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky. 61.4%abv. Bottled by Single Malts of Scotland (Elixir Distillers). This was a single American oak hogshead.
  • Port Askaig 18 year old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky. 50.8%abv. Bottled by Elixir Distillers. This was a single bourbon barrel filled in 2000 and limited to 250 bottles.

It was a privilege to present such a wonderful flight of rare expressions and all of the guests loved the whiskies and the event itself. It isn’t often I get the chance to talk about whiskies of such limited supply. All of the whiskies were from either single casks or a very small marriage of casks. Everyone went home very happy indeed.

One guest waited until the end of the second session, and after almost all of the other guests had left the room he came to speak to me. He proudly showed me a photo he had on his phone of his bottle of 30 year old Caol Ila single malt whisky which was released in 2015. At the time it was the oldest Caol Ila ever to be bottled by the distillers and I’m very proud to have my name on it.

“I’ve travelled from Alabama to meet you tonight David” the man said to me and I thanked him for coming after he told me about how much he had enjoyed the tasting. My geography of the USA isn’t very good so I checked with google maps how far the drive was that the gentleman and his partner had made, a journey of 700 miles each way!

I’d like to thank Denis and Simon for having me host the tastings at Storied Company and I very much look forward to coming back in the future.

Whisky Tasting for the Muncie Scotch Whisky Society

After the tasting we headed off towards the town of Muncie, Indiana. Bob was keen to give me a proper US diner experience so we had a late night, and well deserved feast it one of his favourite restaurants, Portillo’s, and very good it was too. The perfect way to end the evening!

The following day we would host a whisky tasting for members of the Muncie Scotch Whisky Society. I’ve posted a couple of photos below but more about this in a future blog post.

Contact me!

I host bourbon tastings as well as Scotch whisky events. If you are interested in a whisky (or whiskey!) tasting experience wherever you are, please call me on 07875 405 980 alternatively, please complete the contact form below and I will be back to you as soon as possible.

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